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CHICAGO (AP) – After one of his best games as a pro and facing a defense that struggled in a season opener loss, Joe Burrow looked set for another big outing.
In the end, not that much.
Burrow threw three back-to-back second-half interceptions, including one that was sent off by Roquan Smith for a long touchdown, and the Cincinnati Bengals lost 20-17 to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
The winner of the 2019 Heisman Trophy had never played such a game as a pro or in college. He hasn’t been selected more than once in his first 11 NFL games, and his record at Ohio State and LSU was two.
Burrow was intercepted three times in the game. And it will be up to him to get over it.
“I don’t know how he will react to be honest,” said wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. “I never saw Joe do this myself.”
It was an odd turn, considering Burrow’s effectiveness in an overtime win over Minnesota in the season opener. He’s set career highs for passer rating (128.8) and yards per attempt (9.67).
But in this one?
Burrow was 19 of 30 for 207 yards. He threw two touchdowns, but the interceptions were just too much to overcome.
The Bengals trailed 10-3 in the fourth when Burrow threw his first. Smith jumped to retrieve the ball and returned it 53 yards down the left sideline for his first career touchdown.
“You can tell he’s studied this game before and he’s seen it and he pushed really, really fast and he made a really good game,” Burrow said.
On his next pass, Jaylon Johnson skipped Tee Higgins’ route for the second interception. Chicago kicked. But Burrow was knocked out again when defensive lineman Angelo Blackson caught a deflected ball down the line, setting up a field goal that took the Bears’ lead to 20-3.
Burrow said the Bengals offense is playing Chicago.
“They had a good pass rush, so we tried to get them out quickly, and they knew they had a good pass rush and we were going to do it quickly, so they were just starting to sit on all roads. ”he said.
Burrow’s tough afternoon came against a defense that battled Matthew Stafford in a prime-time loss to the Los Angeles Rams last weekend. Stafford completed 20 of 26 passes for 321 yards in a 34-14 win. He pitched for three touchdowns, including one for 67 yards and another for 56 yards, thanks to major Chicago high school breakdowns.
But that was a different story for Burrow.
“The Rams kind of put them on the ropes last week, taking them early,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “Hit those deep shots and get them on the ropes a little bit. When you don’t do that to them, it’s a solid facade. They’ve been the Chicago Bears in the five years I’ve seen them. That’s what happens when you play against them, so that’s just the way the game went.
Burrow finished strong after the interception frenzy, helping the Bengals get closer to the three. But that was not enough to achieve victory.
Burrow threw a 42 yard touchdown at Chase. Justin Fields, who played in the second half after former Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton left with a knee injury, was intercepted at Chicago 25 by Logan Wilson. An 18-yard return put the ball on 7. Burrow hit Tee Higgins with a touchdown in the next play, reducing him to 20-17 with 3:39 remaining.
“We waited until the last minute to take pictures,” Chase said. “We knew they were sitting (on short routes) the whole game. I was telling Joe. Tee knew. We just have to capitalize on the things we see at the start of the game. It’s all about communication. I don’t blame him (anyone). It is a place of communication. We all need to be on the same page. “
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